ADHD at Work: Things I've Lost

Yesterday was officially my last day of temporary management status at my mall job. At the end of the night I returned my store keys, and I’m no longer able to override sale prices, or authorize returns. I can’t decide if I’m sad that I’m back to ‘normal’ or relieved. Being a manager is a lot of work, and much more responsibility.

I’ve successfully made it through a month of responsibility without causing any major problems – but just barely.

On my last day as temporary manager another manager and I came in early to open the store. Everything was going well until I went to open the door and let customers in and realized I didn’t have my store keys. After the first wave of panic I figured they must be at the register or in my purse. But as I walked over to the desk I didn’t see any sign of them, and they weren’t in my bottomless pit of a purse either.

“Maybe you left them in your car” suggested the other manager as she used her set of keys to let the customers in – that would mean my car keys were also in the car – with no way to get them out except to call my dad asking to bring the spare keys.

I was so upset at my lack of memory and organization; who can’t remember where she left her set of about 10 store keys clipped onto her car keys? I was just about to go walking through the mall, out into the cold, convinced that I’d get to my car only to find the keys mocking me from the passenger seat when I dawned on me to check the zipper compartment of my purse.

Sure enough they were right next to my wallet – which I’d taken out to pay for breakfast. I guess I’d put them there so I wouldn’t set them down on the counter while waiting for my bagel and forget them.

As it turns out I was more organized than I’d given myself credit for. If only I’d remembered my technique for NOT losing my keys.